Murphy's Law
by Kasumi Arai
Summary: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." This is especially true for SPR when they take on board a case that is more comedic than humiliating, and more humiliating than dangerous. Among their past achievements, this case certainly tops the list in "traumatic". /Prequel to Baby Steps/
1. Masako: It Started With A Push

**Summary:** "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." This is especially true for SPR when they take on board a case that is more comedic than humiliating, and more humiliating than dangerous. Among their past achievements, this case certainly tops the list in "traumatic". /Prequel to Baby Steps/

**Pairing:** NaruxMai

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ghost Hunt. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter One **

**Masako: It Started With A Push **

"Just a bit more," Mai muttered under her breath.

She glanced anxiously at Naru's door, her eyes were wide and she was producing enough sweat to make an athlete uncomfortable. Not, if it implied anything of the sort, that Mai had been participating in anything that involved much physical activity beyond walking the few steps to the kitchen. And, instead of working and sorting the files Naru had assigned to her into chronological order and then into alphabetical order like a good employee, she was doing her best to build a flimsy structure out of the packet of toothpicks she'd found earlier in the kitchen whilst making Naru his tea.

"Mai."

She froze, the toothpick in her hand only inches away from the structure. She bit her lip. Mai didn't have it in her to turn around and face the demon-boss of hers and the face she could picture him having making. Maybe if she didn't acknowledge him, he would magically disappear; but even Mai knew that was only wishful thinking and a death wish packed all in one. So instead, defying all logic and completely throwing caution out the window, she swivelled around on her wheelie-chair and offered the toothpick out to him, brandishing, like a weapon, a wide, albeit nervous, grin.

"Toothpick?"

"Files."

"Right."

She retracted her hand, toothpick and all, and dropped the smile. It was hurting her face. She swivelled back to face her desk, found the files stacked under her poorly constructed toothpick house and, almost shedding a few tears, swiped the toothpick house away with the back of her hand, watching as the toothpick house – which had taken her more than an hour to build and after many trial and errors – crumpled into a heap of unimpressive sticks on her desk. She grabbed the files and hugged them to her chest as she turned back to Naru.

"I'll have it finished soon."

Though she had been thoroughly unimpressed by the sticks' current state, the look on Naru's face made _her_ want to crumple like the sticks. Needless to say, he wasn't very happy with her answer, and he made it quite clear in the slight furrow of his brows, the small sigh that escaped from his lips, and the closing of his eyes for one second too long.

"Leave it for later," he said. "Lin's out on an errand so you'll be taking notes in his place for the 2PM client."

Mai glanced at the clock – only eight or so minutes till then.

She saluted him.

"Roger, boss!"

Mai jumped up from her seat as he walked away, dumping the papers under a paperweight, and making a beeline for the kitchen to make refreshments. As soon as she left the kitchen with a tray of cups, there was a knock on the door. Mai dumped the tray on the coffee table, invited them in, knocked on Naru's door, and grabbed a pencil and notepad.

As she and Naru sat opposite the two clients, a young man and woman, she took the opportunity of Naru's silence, as he picked up his cup of tea, to observe the two. They shared similar facial features, leaving Mai to conclude the two as relatives of one another. Paired with dark hair and brown eyes, they were attractive enough to share Naru's narcissism – but not enough to top him. _No-one_ displayed as much narcissism as Naru did. No-one. Nor did they look as good as he did.

"State your name, age, and occupation," Naru said.

"Daiki Tanemura, age 26," the male said. "I work at a publishing company."

"My name is Kasumi Tanemura – Daiki is my older brother – and I've recently turned 20," she said, tucking her silky black hair behind her ears. "I'm a college student."

Mai scribbled as fast as her hands would allow her, and it _did not_ help that the stupid pencil kept crapping out on her every two words because the lead decided it didn't want to stick in the pencil any longer – they really should invest in better writing equipment.

As she was shoving the small lead back into the pencil, as a sharpener was not available, a pen was offered to her. She glanced at the owner of the hand and continued to stare. Naru sighed and dropped the pen in her lap, turning his attention back to the clients. Mai snapped out of her surprise and clicked the pen to life. Naru would later, after the clients left, regret giving her the pen – this Mai was sure of. She couldn't help it; when given a click-pen, she would start clicking away until someone snatched it from her and threw it somewhere she couldn't reach. It was a habit. An unchangeable one.

"Explain your case."

Kasumi launched into a story about her older sister, and Daiki's younger sister, and how she was as cheeky and mischievous as can be, however the 22-year-old passed away in a bank robbery in which she tried to talk the robber out of taking a two-year-old as a hostage when escaping. Daiki explained how, since their sister's death, they were, still, occasionally pranked by an unknown force they believed to be their sister, as the style of pranks were the same.

They wanted her to move on to a better place but didn't know where to start. Out of options, and feeling rather freaked out, they sought the help of paranormal investigators. SPR happened to be the first they found. As they concluded their case, Mai pondered over one particular detail she found extremely interesting.

Eiko, the two's sister, the middle child, was an avid participant in pranking people. She made sure someone was pranked at least once a day, and had done all the little types such as pepper in tea, waking up and being greeted by Eiko – a bag of flour aimed right at them – and dressing up as the boogeyman and hiding under their bed in wait. Often times, she garnered laughter for her efforts but other times, the reactions were that of annoyance or anger – which was understandable if that person had been on the receiving end of the prank.

"We'll think about it and in the case that we do accept, you will be contacted. Expect a call in a day or two. I assume your contact information is still the same?"

They nodded.

Mai jabbed Naru's arm. She tried to be subtle but when she felt everyone's eyes on her, she knew her attempt at subtlety had failed. Unperturbed, she forced Naru to give her his undivided attention when he tried to ignore her and talk to the clients.

"What?" he asked, a frown on his face.

"I want this case."

"We'll have to think about it," he said elaborately, as if speaking to a child who simply wouldn't understand.

"I," she began forcefully, "want to take this case. Bou-san wants to too."

Why she dragged the monk in, she didn't know. She just knew she needed support and he had been the first to be picked.

Naru was _not_ happy.

"_We will_ _think_ _about it_," he said through gritted teeth.

"Please?" she begged, pulling her best puppy face. She felt victorious when she heard his sigh.

"Fine."

"We'll take it!" she said loudly to the siblings who were starting to look uncomfortable at their squabble. "Please prepare a room for base and bedrooms to fit about eight people."

As soon as they left, Naru held out his hand to her before she could start clicking and, reluctantly, she handed the pen over. She grumbled under her breath and shuffled her way over to her desk. Feeling Naru's gaze on her, she hunched her back lower before sighing.

"Tea?"

"Don't start the toothpick construction while you make it."

She mimicked him as soon as he turned his back to her and was walking away. Maybe she had said it too loudly, because she only managed to get halfway, stopping brusquely at 'construction', before he turned around to stare at her with amused blue orbs, a brow arched expectantly.

"Did you say something?"

"Only that you are the epitome of awesomeness," she responded immediately, feeling the lie crawl down under her skin and provoking a shiver. She had already defied him by playing when she was supposed to be working and then forcing him to accept the case when he wanted to think about it. She was on strike two. One more strike and she'd be out. Her life snuffed like a flame. Murdered by his death glare.

What a terrible way to go.

"I thought so."

She stuck her tongue out at his retreating back in an act of childish defiance.

"Tea, Mai," he reminded.

…

"The house is huge," Mai murmured in awe. They had just pulled up on the Tanemura's long driveway, and Mai had immediately hopped out of the van she'd been in with Lin and Naru to appreciate the size of the Tanemura's _mansion_.

"Retain some professional decorum, Mai," Naru said. "Go help bring out the equipment."

"Who died and made you King?" she huffed under her breath, but she obeyed nonetheless, going to help Bou-san and the others. She spotted a box and made to grab it but a kimono-sleeved arm happened to be faster. Masako smirked smugly at her, inciting an eye roll from Mai. As Masako walked away, Mai was hit a confusion – nasty thing it was, running into her then saying hello. Usually she'd be infuriated by the medium's usual display of unkindness – but that day Mai felt calm and untroubled, like a pacifist.

Huh. "Weird," she muttered. Yasu glanced at her.

"What's weird?"

A shriek startled them.

Mai looked to her left, found Masako on the ground, the contents of the box scattered on the lawn, and her eyes widened.

"That."

Mai and Yasu shared one look with one another before rushing to help the fallen medium to her feet. Mai left Yasu to help her whilst she gathered the wires, batteries, and other small objects off the floor before Naru came back – they just arrived and an unhappy Naru was a Naru she didn't want to work with.

"Ow," Masako sniffed indignantly. What happened next shocked not only Yasu and Masako, but Mai, herself, also. Mai burst into laughter, and it wasn't one of spite towards a love rival but one out of genuine hilarity – the type of laugh she'd make when Bou-san made one of his jokes, or the face Naru made when his pride was being threatened. Masako's face darkened in fury.

"I'm going inside," she announced coldly, leaving behind the box she'd been carrying. Mai grimaced, glancing nervously at a still shocked Yasu.

"Way to make friends, Mai."

"I don't know what that was," Mai admitted. "I have no idea why I laughed."

Yasu sighed. Spotting Naru, he dropped the box in her arms. "Well, whatever it was can wait. Big Boss can't, however, so get a move on."

With Naru overseeing the steady progress of the equipment being setup, they finished in under an hour. Mai, Bou-san and Yasu flopped unceremoniously onto an unoccupied couch. Masako, who had taken up an armchair, still bore a grouchy expression on her face.

"It felt like someone had pushed me over," she said when she had everyone's attention. She shot Mai a look and the brunette held her hands up defensively.

"I didn't do it – I wasn't near you," she said.

She flashed Mai a glare. "I can't believe you _laughed_ at me."

_Me neither_, Mai thought. But for some reason Mai had found Masako's predicament amusing – _fun_, even. Weird.

"Maybe it was karma," Yasu suggested thoughtfully. "You _were_ trying to be mean to Mai again." Now Yasu was on the receiving end of her glare. Upon seeing it, he laughed nervously. "I said 'maybe'."

"You laughed at her?" Ayako asked, eyebrows flitting up in surprise. Mai scrunched her nose at how mean it made her sound. It was wholly unintentional!

"I didn't mean to!" she protested desperately. "It just…_came out_." A bark of laughter caught Mai unaware. Eyes wide, she looked at her unaffected teammates. "D-Did anyone hear that?"

They looked at her in confusion accompanied with raised glances and shakes of the head. Perfect. Either she was hallucinating or she was the only one to hear, who she believed was, their resident spirit's glee. Masako and Lin were the ones who came to her rescue.

"There was a spirit's presence here but it's not here anymore."

"Naru, the temperature in here dropped," Lin added, eyes glued to the monitor – more specifically, to the little screen (the only camera working at the moment) that showed through the camera Bou-san had set up in base. "It's normal now, however. We should quickly take the temperature of the other rooms and set up the cameras for better results."

"Naturally," Bou-san inputted, looking at Masako, "we can assume the push was a greeting from Eiko."

Mai's attention was caught on Yasu, who was biting his nails and was wearing a concentrated expression.

"You know, it could be that Mai channelled Eiko's feelings," Yasu said. All eyes turned to him. When none responded, he took that as a sign to elaborate on his statement. "Well, we know that Eiko was rather fond of pranks – and if we assume that she was the culprit in Masako's little incident, it all makes sense. For some reason or the other, her feelings of amusement was felt, or intercepted, by Mai – like a network."

"So you're saying Mai is like an antenna that can pick up radio frequencies – in this case, Eiko's emotions – or something," Ayako clarified. Mai grimaced. The thought didn't appeal to her at all. Masako snorted in amusement, and Mai frowned in misery. Leave it to her to get all the weird stuff. "So it's a bit like Masako's ability?"

The smirk fell off her face.

"It's a theory."

Naru cut in. "It's a good theory but it has a few holes, such as why Hara-san didn't channel her amusement as Mai did."

"I felt it," Masako admitted. "But it was like with all the other spirits I've dealt with – I could feel their emotions, and some do overwhelm me, but never have their emotions taken over me such as Mai had, if we're going by Yasuhara-san's theory."

Mai's stomach grumbled loudly and she sighed as everyone turned eyes onto her; she had forgotten to eat breakfast that morning as she'd woken up late, a result of an old alarm clock that was quickly falling apart. She needed to add 'alarm clock' onto her long list of things she needed to replace.

Luckily for her, Kasumi entered with news of lunch. "Would you all like to join us for lunch?"

Mai nodded eagerly.

"Mai, you and Takigawa-san will go take the temperature," Naru ordered as the brunette bounced up from her seat, already drooling over the smell of the food. Both glared at Naru with pure outrage; Mai pointed a finger at him accusingly, declaring, "Demon! You're a demon!", whilst Bou-san stomped his foot in protest.

"Naru, just let them have some lunch," Ayako attempted to persuaded him, after both the monk and the brunette turned pleading eyes her way. But Naru would have none of that.

"They can eat when they've finished."

"But why?" Mai whined. "No-one else has to do anything!"

"They're not the ones whom we had to wait forty-three minutes for because they woke late," Naru said.

Well, she couldn't argue against that.

"Why are you picking on me?" she huffed.

She could act childish, though.

"What about me?" Bou-san asked, jabbing a finger at his chest. "I get your reason against Mai"—he glanced at her apologetically—"but what did I do?"

"You set off a smoke bomb in his office," Ayako reminded him. He turned unappreciative eyes her way, provoking an eye roll from the miko. "Oh, don't give me that. You're the one who screwed up."

Mai and Bou-san looked at one another before storming over angrily to grab the equipment then out the door, all the while muttering to one another, "It was just a small bomb – so what if it smelt? You get used to it!" and "Naru's being so testy nowadays – I mean, I've arrived later than _forty-three_ minutes before, gosh!"

Though Mai had been the first to be in awe at the sheer size of the estate, she now hated it; the amount of rooms and corridors were too much for one teenager and a young adult handle. She scowled when her stomach grumbled loudly. Bou-san sighed and handed her a look.

"I get that you're hungry," he started, "but we still have another fifteen rooms to get to and about two more levels worth of corridors – and no, I ain't keen on lumbering up those damn stairs – and you're making me hungry."

She fixed the monk with an expression that simply said "_Excuse you_".

"Right," she drawled. "I'll just kindly ask it to stop the _uncontrollable_ grumbles."

"Can't believe I'm missing out on lunch," Bou-san griped as Mai scribbled the initial temperature of one of the many guest bedrooms on the paper attached to the clipboard. "Bet you fifty that Naru won't let us eat even after we finish – the slave driver."

"Can't bet if we're batting for the same team," Mai pointed out. "I mean, the cameras hasn't been set up yet; who do you think is going to get picked for the job? Masako and Yasu? Yeah, right!"

Bou-san groaned. "Don't even mention it."

Mai and Bou-san spent the next hour scurrying through each room, thoughts on food alone as motivation. The last room, however, frustrated Mai. The door had been hard to open and then there was that _old_, musty smell in the air that permeated her clothes. So much dust was everywhere, prompting Mai to conclude that the room probably hadn't been used for a long time.

"I wonder why it's in such a state," Mai said, coughing slightly from the dust. "Wouldn't the servants normally handle the cleaning?"

"Well, take a look around, Mai," Bou-san said. "It looks like a storeroom. There's not really much reason to clean out the storage room more than once or twice a year."

Mai shrugged, taking the temperature of the room. They were about to leave, with Bou-san taking lead, when the clock to her right caught her eye.

It was upside down.

Finding it odd, she made her way over to the clock, pulled out a stool from under a covering sheet, and turned the clock 180 degrees to the right. When she noticed the hands of the clock pointing to the wrong number, she frowned, bit her lip and attempted to correct it in accordance to her watch.

"Mai, what are you—"

As soon as the big hand passed the number twelve, turning it one full hour, the wall spun, causing Mai to lose her balance on the plastic stool and fall inside, before closing with a firm _boom_. Bou-san was rather shocked. Many things passed through his head, amongst them were "wall opened", "clock was the trigger" and "Mai fell inside".

Ah, shit.

"Mai!"

* * *

**To Be Continued… **

* * *

**I'M BACK! **

**I decided to write a prequel to Baby Steps after thinking about Murphy's Law because it always seems to apply to me (especially in sport lessons; I could be sitting far away on the sidelines (on the **_**other side**_** of the courts, even!) and I would still (at least once) get hit by the ball) – then I wrote a summary for it (so no, it wasn't originally supposed to be a prequel) and it turned into **_**this**_**. And so, for anyone wondering about the case that discarded all sense of rationality, probably breaking some paranormal rules in the process, and turned Naru into a four-year-old, here it is! **

**Okay, so each chapter is dedicated to one SPR member – which means the chapter will be about them **_**specifically**_** being humiliated or embarrassed in some way, small or big. At any rate, we'll be laughing at their expense. Hopefully. I started off with Masako (the push); I may come back to her. **

**Just in case I was confusing in my notes in Baby Steps, this is a prequel, set before Baby Steps. I don't plan to write a sequel. **

**Erm. I'm not sure when chapter two will be out, but I'm bound to update someday, maybe not soon though. **

* * *

**Spoilers**:

"I lost my shoe."

"She's, um, _a little_ offended that her grandfather didn't cry at her funeral."


	2. Bou-san: Lost and Found

**14AmyChan,** Sorry! But yes, I do hope this amuses you as much as _Baby Steps_ did! **Guest,** Thanks! That's awesome. And sorry, no sequel. **SymmetricalGirl8DeathTheKid, **I will never fail to be entertained by your penname, I swear. Haha, thanks for reading and reviewing. **dianaloveanime,** To be honest, it wasn't really hard to imagine it happening. I wonder if it's because it's Mai… **avelarruth93,** That's great to hear! Thanks for reading and reviewing. **kaoru12211991,** Thanks for your feedback. So many feels; my alarm is pretty lazy also. I'm pretty excited about Yasu's one too. Currently, my favourite is Ayako's though, haha! **Rose-Thorn- Shinda Hood,** I feel your pain. I'm pretty bad when it comes to typing on my phone – so much autocorrect and "asdfghjkl"s. **ACertainIdioticScientist,** I'm glad to hear it. Let's hope she stays funny! **yukihime88,** Yay for originality! Or so I'd like to say, but I got the idea from _Meitantei Conan_. Haha! **NaginiFay,** Awesome! **Naruisawesome,** HAHAHA! Looks like not many likes Masako in this story, huh? Pfft. That makes two of us then! I don't squeal but when it comes to the pair I ship, it's the thought that counts – that and the odd flailing I do before tripping over the couch. XD Thanks for reading and reviewing! **Makennaandreese,** I'm glad to hear it! Thanks for reading and reviewing. :D

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**Chapter Two **

**Bou-san: Lost and Found **

A young woman once told her that the darkness was void, it was a dimension of nothing, and that was why people's fears were birthed in there – because they unconsciously strived to fill in their emptiness. Unfortunately, fears rarely build a solid foundation and they are then thrown further into their personal abyss. To the six-year-old Mai at that time, those words were the mumbles of a woman who had been burnt by life.

Mai had long forgotten her name.

Now trapped in darkness, Mai fumbled in her pockets, seeking the mini flashlight attached to her keys. She bit her lip, too stubborn to admit even to herself that she was scared. The light hit the walls and she pressed a hand to it, hoping maybe it'd spin open again. The walls, however, stayed firmly shut. She huffed in annoyance. Anger trumped fear any day in her book. She shone her flashlight around her, taking in her surroundings – nothing but walls and a pathway stretching into more darkness.

It was a passageway. A small part of her was thrilled that she could finally explore a secret passage, like a famous detective or something; but then again, when ghosts were involved, there was nothing to be thrilled about. Mai sighed. No use in sitting around and doing nothing; might as well try to find an exit and get herself out.

…

"What do you mean, '_she's gone_'?"

Bou-san stood, feeling terribly awkward as he continued to be grilled by Ayako's words. Nasty things. At least her stupid handbag hadn't come into play yet. His pride was already battered enough from losing Mai, he didn't need to be physically abused too.

"The walls opened. Mai fell in. She's gone."

"What room did this happen in?" Naru asked. "How did it happen?"

"The storage room on the second floor," Bou-san answered. "And I don't know. One minute she's up on the stool doing something with the clock, for god knows what reason, and the next thing you know, the wall spins open, Mai falls in and then the wall closes."

Naru seemed to ponder for a short while before stalking out of base. The others followed after him, with the exception of Lin, who stayed behind to watch the monitors in case anything came up. Naru knocked on a door Bou-san remembered as being Kasumi's, if the picture of herself and the femininity of the room was anything to go by. As soon as Kasumi opened her door, Naru began the interrogation.

"Does this mansion have any secret passages?"

Blunt. Straight to the point.

Bou-san was almost afraid that she wasn't going to tell them the truth.

"Well, I've never encountered one myself," she said thoughtfully, "but my grandfather and Eiko has mentioned it once or twice, I believe."

"May we speak to your grandfather?"

She seemed troubled. "He's not too keen on strangers – but, um, I'll see if he's okay with it."

Fortunately, the grandfather, Wataru Tanemura, was fine with speaking to them. He greatly resembled Naru in personality. Sharp. Absolute. Somewhat intimidating. It had Bou-san sitting up a little straighter – it had _everyone_ sitting up a little straighter. Despite being seated, himself, he held an authoritative air; it reminded Bou-san of his own father; opposing him hard been one of the hardest things he'd done yet, but giving up his music and going bald was something he just couldn't do – music was his life and his hair helped bring in the ladies.

"We have reason to believe that within a storage room on the second floor is the entrance to a hidden passageway," Naru said. "Would you know anything about it?"

Wataru calmly drank his tea but didn't answer, prompting several eyes to glance nervously at Naru. Fortunately, Naru didn't lose his composure though his finger tightened slightly over his pants. A long, full minute passed before Wataru spoke and the onlookers breathed an air of relief. Naru remained indifferent to their behaviour.

"What's it to you, boy?"

"One of my colleagues is trapped in there."

An eyebrow flitted up, as if to say, "And?"

"I would also like to explore it."

He grunted. "Do as you wish." He poured himself a new cup of green tea. "The storage room is not the only place that holds an entrance. The living room and the broom closet has an entrance, too, and god knows how many more there are."

"I've never seen one," Kasumi noted.

"Only Eiko," Wataru reminisced. "She would disappear for half a day with a backpack only to then turn up for dinner later."

His jaw hardened, his eyes casted downwards. The sigh that escaped from him seemed to age him by ten years. Naru stood, bowed, and walked out. The others followed after him. Yasu walked beside Kasumi, voicing his thoughts to her.

"Was Eiko and your grandfather close?"

"Well, we all are, I suppose," she said. "He finds it difficult to show emotions but we can tell. Eiko, among the three of us, reminded him most of our mother, his daughter. She was sweet but she had a playful and mischievous side to her too, from what little I remember of her.

"Eiko was terribly adventurous and though she loved our grandfather, she was always somewhat rebellious; I think it upset her that he never really smiled – maybe that's why she kept playing those pranks, to make him smile."

She hastily wiped away a stray tear.

"Well, I have exams to study for."

She quickly left.

"Poor thing," Ayako murmured. With a sigh, she looked at Naru. "Maybe we could try calling Mai?"

"Already did," Bou-san said. "She left it at base – and it's also off."

"When we get her back, I'm gonna have a little talk to her," she said, irked. "You'd think with her talents in attracting danger she'd keep some sort of communication device on her, but no. No, she would rather worry us to death. What, is she allergic to giving us peace of mind?"

Bou-san knew Ayako was extremely worried. When she started ranting, she was either very worried or very angry or both. He _did not_ want to get caught in the middle of her tirade; however, from the look Naru was giving her, he decided to re-evaluate his options. Test Naru's patience by ruining his concentration and they all suffer or put a stop to Ayako and get slapped by her handbag.

He chose the latter. In one swift move, he clamped a hand over her mouth, much to her surprise and rage. She bit him. He yelped and his hold loosened. He hadn't expected biting. Biting was _cheating_! Upon turning back to voice his complaint over her vicious nature, he instantaneously became tight-lipped at the sight of her raised bag – was it just him or was this bag much bigger, heavier and evil looking than her last?

"Takigawa-san, go search in the living room," Naru ordered in a crisp tone, and the monk was thankful he'd been saved from sure harm. "Take Matsuzaki-san with you."

Then again, maybe not.

"Hara-san, take Brown-san and go to the broom closet."

"What about me, Boss?" Yasu piped up enthusiastically.

"Go question the family," Naru said. "I want to know why the spirit is still lingering around." He turned to Lin. "Mind the monitors. And if anyone finds Mai, send her my way."

There was a series of grimaces at the tone of his voice. Mai was in for a lecture. Seeing Naru taking off in another direction, Yasu asked, "Where will you be heading, Boss?"

"Tea."

…

"I don't see any door that'll lead to some secret room," Bou-san grumbled. "And I'm hungry! What do I have to do to get a meal around here? Do I look like a machine? I need food!"

"Oh, shut up!" Ayako exclaimed in annoyance, slamming a hand on the mantle above the fireplace. Bou-san's eyes widened but Ayako didn't notice. "You always complain! If it's not about your goddamn stomach, it's about how you're being overworked! I've had enough!"

Seeing his surprised expression, she snapped, "What?"

He pointed at the fireplace and Ayako spun around to see that the fireplace had been replaced by an open entrance into a dark passage. She gulped. "W-What exactly happened?"

"You hit, fireplace moved," Bou-san said vaguely, still caught up in shock. Ayako was the first to react. She knelt in front of the fireplace and stuck her head into the passageway, peering into the darkness. Eventually, she crawled in, disappearing from the monk's view.

"Bou-san," came her voice, "get in here!"

"What?" he asked with a grimace. "Did you find a dead rat?"

"No," she said, irked. Ayako exited from the darkness and gave him a look. "Let's go look for Mai."

"And get ourselves lost too?" he asked, incredulous. "For all we know, she could be perfectly fine."

Ayako eyed him carefully, observingly. "What is it?" she asked, an eyebrow raised expectantly. "What happened?"

"Nothing," he said defensively. "What makes you think something did?"

"Well, the fact that you're okay with letting that foolish colleague of ours roam around aimlessly gave it away a little," she said, then took up a stern expression. "Now, spill."

Bou-san was silent for a few seconds before he mumbled uneasily, "The television show three nights ago."

It took Ayako a moment to understand. She blinked once before bursting out in laughter. She clutched her stomach, wheezing painfully as tears formed.

"That dumb horror show?" she scoffed, wiping the tears away. "That doesn't even come close to holding a candle to the cases we've handled."

"It's still scary," he mumbled, sporting a prominent blush.

She rolled her eyes. "Let's go, scaredy-cat," she said, pushing him towards the open entrance of the secret passage. "Don't be such a baby."

As soon as he entered, the doorway shifted. Before any could react, the entrance had closed off, with Bou-san remaining on one side whilst Ayako was on the other. Bou-san pounded on the wall, the darkness was making him nervous.

"Ayako?"

"I can't get it open!" was her strained reply.

Playful laughter rang around him and he groaned. He ran a hand through his hair.

"It's no use," he responded loudly. "It's Eiko. Go get Naru." He turned and grimaced at the barely lit corridor. "I guess I'll go find Mai."

Bou-san ventured down the path, not really sure where he was headed or which way was North. He continued to walk. The monk was beginning to get fed up with the twists and turns of the pathway. Before he could complain about it to no-one in particular, however, he heard the faint sound of what he suspected to be a laugh.

And then Eiko's attacked him and stole something of his.

His shoe.

She had just _stolen his shoe_!

"Give it back!" he demanded.

Instead, the spirit's mischievous laughter was getting further away. In a bid to regain his shoe, he ran after the sound, where he was ultimately led to Mai.

…

When Mai saw Bou-san rounding that corner, she ran at him and tackled him with a hug. She was extremely glad to see him. The sour look on his face, however, was _not_ what she had been expecting to greet her. But there it was. She observed his face under the dim light of the small lamps occupying the walls. If he frowned any further, he'd have himself a monobrow.

A crime, really.

"What's wrong?"

"Shoe," he muttered.

"What?" she asked.

She was startled when he huffed angrily.

"She stole my shoe! _My shoe!_ That damn spirit stole my shoe!"

Mai knew sympathy was what Bou-san needed, and something he clearly wanted, if the expectant look on his face was anything to go by, but Mai wasn't capable of giving it at that moment. She had a bigger problem to face.

"Pfft."

That problem happened to involve the almost impossible task of not laughing at a certain monk. Which she failed. Quite devastatingly.

He scrunched his nose.

"Mai," he said warningly.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out before falling into a laughing mess.

Eiko's laughter echoed around them.

He stomped his shoeless foot, glaring at his surroundings. Mai was doing a very poor job at concealing her amusement – if by amusement he meant dying on the ground and wheezing like a hippopotamus deprived of oxygen – and it irked him. He focussed his anger on the playful spirit.

"Eiko, you give my shoe back, _right now_!"

Mai blinked at Eiko's answer.

"Uh, Bou-san?" Mai called for his attention. "She said no."

"Why not?" Bou-san huffed in annoyance. "My foot feels exposed!"

"You're wearing a sock," she pointed out. At his glare, she held her hands up. "Sorry, sorry."

"Well?" Bou-san asked, almost desperate. Those were his favourite pair! "Why won't she give it back?"

Mai scratched her head awkwardly.

"She's venting."

"_Why?_"

"She's, um, _a little_ offended that her grandfather didn't cry at her funeral."

"A little?" Eiko scoffed. "I _died_! How is that not enough reason to garner a few tears from one geezer?"

"Okay, she's a lot offended," Mai amended.

"What has that got to do with me?" Bou-san complained.

Mai abruptly laughed upon hearing Eiko's answer.

"She says you're cute when you're angry."

Bou-san grinned.

* * *

**To Be Continued… **

* * *

**I AM ALIVE! Late as usual. I also made a **_**Supernatural**_** reference. Now they're both stuck! MWAHAHAHA! **

**P****lease be forewarned that the next chapter will bring ridiculous to a whole new level. I know this was meant to be a genuine, multi-chaptered fic but the next chapter may turn it into a crackfic. I couldn't help myself. I caved. I admit it. So enjoy. :D **

**P.S. Next chapter will be late too. Apologies. University has me busy. But I have the next chapter already planned out. Sorta. I just need to write it. Which is usually the case. **

* * *

**Spoilers:**

"Oh my god, where are my boobs?"

"Don't compliment me!"

"You think I _want_ to embrace my masculinity? _Do you_?"


End file.
